NI MUMS ON THE PRESSURE TO GET BACK INTO SHAPE AFTER HAVING A BABY
Made In Chelsea’s Binky Felstead this week criticised singer Cheryl for wearing an ab-bearing top just months after having her first child. Kerry McKittrick talks to two NI mums about the pressure to get into shape post baby
Artist and fitness blogger Aly Harte (34), lives in Belfast with husband Michael and their three boys, Elijah (8), Tobias (6) and Abraham (16 months). She says:
As a fitness and wellbeing blogger, body acceptance and working out is a really big part of who I am. Despite the seemingly endless stream of celebrity mums posing on Instagram bikini-ready just a few weeks or months after giving birth, I didn’t feel pressure to ping back into shape after having my first two children. However, after my third baby, Abraham, I really wanted to get back to feeling myself again.
Unfortunately, I suffered from hyperemesis during my third pregnancy — just like the Duchess of Cambridge has with all of her pregnancies — and I spent quite a lot of time in hospital during the early stages. When it lifted after the 24th week, I was able to start exercising again, so I went swimming every day.
You certainly feel and look different after having a baby and, for me, the way I felt afterwards was a new experience after every one of my children. This was especially the case after Abraham was born because I had a split in my abs during labour. This meant that when I was training I had to be very careful not to tear the muscles any further. Despite that, I’ve probably had the best training post-partum because my body has been stronger because I had to make lifestyle changes after the first two children due to illness.
My body has never been back to normal five months after childbirth — with any of my children. But I work with a lot of women day in, day out and, while it’s a cliched response, everyone is different. Your pre-pregnancy and post-pregnancy body is likely to be very different to everyone else.
We all need to accept that everyone looks different, has a different diet and works out at varying levels. We also need to factor in lifestyle, genetics and, importantly, how much you want to change your body.
Cheryl appears to be very motivated to have got back into shape a few months after having a baby, and was trim and fit prior to her pregnancy too. Binky is a slim girl too and they are both being constantly scrutinised in the Press.
For me, having six-pack abs wasn’t important at five
Babies change you no matter who you are, so we all need to accept our bodies